Railway journal box lid lug wear plate assemblies



W. A. MILLS Jan. 20, 1959 RAILWAY JOURNAL. BOX LID'LUC PLATE ASSEMBLIES Fi led Nqv. 2, 1955 ATTORNEY BY Q1 RAILWAY JOURNAL BOX LID LUG WEAR PLATE ASSEMBLIES William A. Mills, Reynoldsburg, Ohio, assignor to The Buckeye Steel Castings Company, Columbus, Ohio Application November 2, 1955, Serial No. 544,485

1 Claim. (Cl. 308-47) The present invention relates to the railway art and to the structure for the hinge mounting of a lid for the journal box and more specifically relates to improvements in the mounting of wear plates on the lid lugs.

A conventional lug for supporting the lid of a journal box for swinging movements to a position closing the journal box and to an open or partially open position includes a pair of spaced end portions and a central portion between the end portions. A circular hole is provided through the three portions of the lug for receiving a pin which serves to retain the lid in operative relationship with the journal box and functions as a part of the hinge structure providing for swinging movements of the lid. The central portion of the lug is so shaped that a spring-pressed element carried by the lid engages one surface of the central portion to releasably maintain the lid in a closed position. Another surface on thecentral portion of the lug is so shaped that when the springpressed element bears thereon the lid is releasably retained in an open or partially open position. It has been the practice to providea plate covering the profile of the central portion of the lid ing for engagement by the spring-pressed element to reduce the wear or attrition of the lug. The wear plate has been in the past welded to the central portion of the lug along the longitudinal front lower edge of the wear plate and along the longitudinal rear edge thereof.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a wear plate for the central portion of the lid lug of a railway journal box so constructed that it may be mounted in position and maintained securely in operative relationship with the lug and the spring-pressed element of the lid without the necessity of welding the wear plate to the lug.

A further object of the invention is to so shape the central portion of the lid lug of a journal box and to so shape the wear plate that it may be moved into position and resiliently grip the lug and thereby be retained in operative relationship with the lug.

A more specific object of the invention is to provide an inturned lip at the front and at the rear of the wear plate which is adapted to engage the central portion of the lug below oppositely outwardly directed shoulders thereon and to provide the wear plate with resilient characteristics which cause the inturned lips to be biased inwardly after mounting of the plate on the lug whereby the inturned lips extend under the shoulders to assist in holding the wear plate on the lug.

Another object of the invention is to provide oppositely facing longitudinally extending grooves in the central portion of the lug and to provide inturned lips on the wear plate which enter the grooves upon mounting of the wear plate to assist in retaining the wear plate in position on the lug. 7

Other objects and features of the invention will be appreciated and become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains as the present 6, Patented Jan. 20, 1959 mounted on the central portion.

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on a larger scale and taken through the central portion of the lid lug before the wear plate is mounted thereon.

Fig. 4 is an end elevational view of the wear plate.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view through the central portion of a modified lid lug showing another type of Wear plate mounted thereon.

Fig. 6 is an end elevational view of the wear plate shown in Fig. 5.

The journal box of a railway car truck is often formed integral with the side frame and portions of a conventional journal box is shown at 10 in Fig. 1. An opening 11 is provided at the front of the journal box for inspection of the bearing and for lubricating the journal and for other purposes. The opening 11 is closed by a suitable lid and one type is shown at 12. The lid 12 car ries an element 14 of appropriate construction which is urged by means of suitable spring means 16 towards the central portion of the lid lug. When the lid is in the closed position shown by full lines in Fig. l and in the absence of a wear plate the element 14 engages a generally vertical surface on the central portion of the ing. The lid 12 is releasably retained in the closed position by the action of the spring-pressed element 14 cooperating with the front vertical face on the lug. The springpressed element 14 rides on the central portion of the lug and when the lid is in an open or partially open position as illustrated in phantom lines in Fig. 1 it is retained in this position by action of the spring-pressed element engaging top and rear surfaces on the central portion of the lug.

In the embodiment shown in Figs. 1 to 4 the front surface 22 of the central portion 21 of the lug is flat and oriented in a substantially vertical plane. The upper and rear surface 23 of the central portion is of arcuate formation as shown in Fig. 3. The portions 16 and 17 are disposed at opposite ends of the central portion 21 as shown in Fig. 2. These end portions are of conventional design and have areas 18 and 19 (Fig. 3) which extend laterally beyond the central portion 21. A groove 26 is provided in the front of the central portion 21 of the lug and ex V tends longitudinally throughout the central portion. This groove provides a downward facing shoulder 27 which defines the lower extremity of the vertical surface 22. A groove 28 is provided in the rear part of the lug and ex tends'longitudinally throughout the central portion 21. A downward facing shoulder 31 defines the upper extremity of the groove 28.

' rearwardly of and below the groove 23 slopes downwardly as indicated at 32. The grooves 26 and 28 may be formed during casting of the lid lug and no machining is necessary.

A wear plate for the lug shown in Fig. 3 is indicated generally at 35. It may be formed of any suitable metal havingwear or attrition resistable qualities and the plate desirably has resilient characteristics. The wear plate includes a vertical arm or leg 36 adapted to lie along the surface 22 of the lug. The wear plate includes an arcuate upper and rear arm or leg 37 adapted to lie along the The central portion of the lug.

surface 23 of the central portion of the lug. An inturned lip 38 is carried by the wear plate and this lip or car projects substantially at right angles from the plane of the front arm 36 and extends throughout the'length of'the plate. An inturned ear or lip 39 is carried bythe lower end of the-rear arm of the plate and this inturned-lip is arranged substantially at right angles to the vertical' leg 36 of the wear plate. The lip 39 extends throughout the length of the plate.

The effective maximum transverse dimension "of the lug is represented at D in Fig. 3 and this is slightly greater than the spacing of the arms or legs of the wear plate as indicated at S in Fig. 4. The wearplate 35 is mounted on the central portion21 of the :lug by arranging the arms thereover after which the'plate is moved downwardly over the central portion. The inner edges the lips 38 and 39will then engage the lug in the areas at the extremities of the dimension line D. A sharp :hlow imparted to the upper portion of the wear plate, forces it downwardly and the ears or lips 38 and 39 enter the grooves 26 and 23. This causes a slight spreading of the lower extremities of the wear plate but the distortion is not sufficient to deform the wear plate beyond its elastic limit and the resilient character thereof causes the lower extremities to be moved towards each other to thereby grip the central portion of lug. The lips 38 and 39 are desirably of such length that the inner edges do not engage the bottom of the grooves 25 and 28. The wear plate is thus securely retained in operative position on the lug without the necessity of welding or otherwise fixing it physically to the lug structure. The spring-pressed element 14 cooperates with the front face of the arm or leg 36 of the wear plate to releasably hold the lid lug 12 in closed positions. The spring-pressed element 14 also cooperates with the upper and rear surface of the arm or leg 37 of the wear plate as shown in phantom lines in Fig. 1 to hold the lid in an open or partly open position. The inclined surface 32 is so disposed that it is possible to insert a tool to engage the inturned lip or ear 39 of the wear plate 35 so as to pry the ear or lip out of the groove 28 for convenient removal of the wear plate when replacement is desired. The end edges 41 and of the wear plate are in abutting relationship with the areas 18 and 19 of the end portions to and 17 which will prevent any substantial longitudinal movement of the wear plate relative to the lug structure.

A modification isshown in Figs. 5 and 6 wherein the central portion 21a of the lid lug is devoid of grooves along the front and rear thereof. The effective maximum transverse width of the central portion is indicated at W and shoulders are provided below the extremities of this dimension line. In this embodiment the wear plate 51 is provided with an inturned lip or car 52 which. is arranged approximately at an angle of forty-five degrees with reference to the vertical front arm or leg 53. An inturned rear ear or lip 54 is arranged in a plane of about forty-five degrees with reference to the arm -56 of .the wear plate 51. The transverse dimension W of the central portion 21a of the lug is slightly greater than a corresponding dimension X of the wear plate 51. Thus when the wear plate 51 is arranged over the central portion 21a of the lug shown in Fig. 5 the. inturned lips or ears 52 and 54 and adjacent portions of the wear plate are moved outwardly as the wear plate is forced downwardly. Such distortion of the Wear plate is withinits elastic limits and the inturned car 52 is resiliently urged towards a plane surface 5'6 on the lug below the shoulder and the inturned ear or lip 54 lies along a plane surface 57 which is below the other shoulder.

While the invention has been described with reference to particular structural features andone general type of lid lug structure and with regard to a particular type of lid and spring-pressed element it will be appreciated that changes may be made in such elements and in.the: assembly and may be altered in other respects. Such modificationsand others along with changes in the details of the wear plate andthe central portion of the. lid lug may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as set forth in the appended claim.

What I claim and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A journal box lid lug structure comprising, a lug having a central portion and end portions, said central portion having a groove in the front extending throughout the length of the central portion providing a downward facing shoulder defining the lower extremity of a front face of the central portion, said central portion of the lug having a groove in the rear extending throughout the length of the central portion providing a downward facing shoulder defining a lower extremity of a rear face of the central portion, outer extremities of said shoulders providing a maximum transverse dimension of the central portion, an inverted generally U-shaped wear plate fitting the profile of said central portion, legs on said wear plate resiliently gripping the lug in areas adjacent said shoulders, an inturned lip on each legextending throughout the length of the wear plate and said lips being so dimensioned in relation to the grooves that the free edges thereof do not engage the lug within said grooves, a down wardly and outwardly sloping surface on the rear of said central portion extending throughout the length thereof providing an open area for the introduction of a tool to engage the free edge of the associated inturned lip, and each of said end portions .having lateral surface areas .in

abutting relationship with an end of. said wear plate.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 812,257 .Booth Feb. 13, 1906 2,099,711 Townsend Nov. 23, 1937 2,170,545 Burton Aug. 22, 1939 2,675,278 Blattner Apr. 13, 1954 

